Kingdom Hearts Shattered Dreams Chapter 1
by StarlightNamine
Summary: Roxas has been living a normal life in Tokyo, Japan going to school. Yet he doesn't know that he was never meant to live a normal life...and somehow all his memories of Kingdom Hearts and his old friends have been wiped out. Will the mystery be solved?
1. Chapter 1: Day of Beginning

_I wanted my pictures to show you the memories and the love I had for you_

_And yet maybe that wasn't enough._

_Maybe it wasn't enough for you to come back to me. _

_-Namine_

I've been having these weird dreams lately. Dreams about drawings of me with these other people I have never met. Every time, I see this girl in my dreams and she seemed sad. I get the feeling that I should come closer to her, and the feeling that I want to hug her tightly. But at the end of every dream I had, I could picture myself falling into a ditch, glass with all these memories that fall with me. What's going on with me?

Walking to school, Roxas head felt like it was going to explode. He hadn't been sleeping very well for the last couple of days and today was his exam. He felt heavy and wanted to collapse on the ground so bad. With a huge yawn, Roxas stretched his arms as far as he could.

Suddenly, he heard someone call his name. "Roxas!"

He turned around and saw a girl his age with red curly hair and green eyes running up to him. She wore a white short sleeved blouse with a navy blue sash around her neck and a blue skirt that reached down to her knees. She came up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning!"

Roxas gave her a half smile. "Mornin' Roxanna."

"Did you sleep well?" she asked with a cheeky smile, linking her arm with Roxas's arm.

"No I had weird dreams again," Roxas told her simply.

Roxanna smiled again at Roxas. They had been dating for about a week now. Roxas liked Roxanna a lot and never really had the courage to ask the most wanted girl in his high school out. Lucky for him, she accepted. Roxanna was different from Roxas's past girlfriends. She wasn't pushy at all and didn't act like she was high. She was a calm and cheerful type that Roxas found himself more comfortable to her than any other girl he had met. And for some reason, Roxas felt that Roxanna was someone he actually knew by heart.

When they arrived at school, people were cheering for them calling them the Rox (Roxa sounded too weird) Couple because the first letters of their names were the same. Roxas and Roxanne walked over to their friends who were standing by a tree. Roxas's two friends Koji and Skye were talking with Roxanne's friends Ophidia and Nyoka. Their friends waved at the couple as they walked towards them with smiles on their faces.

"Hey Roxas! Our lucky man!" Skye cheered. He jumped down from the branch he was sitting on and went over and put his arm around Roxas's shoulder.

"Hey Skye," Roxas said, giving Skye a nudge. Skye had blonde curly hair and light blue eyes. He was always talkative and cheerful. Everyone called him a lady's man because of his love for talking with women.

Skye grinned at him and Roxanna. "You guys make the best couple at our school! I mean almost everyone is jealous of you guys! Especially me!" He pointed at himself with dramatic motion.

Roxanna giggled. "Don't say that. You'll find your match real soon." She pinched his cheek and everyone started laughing once they saw Skye's surprised expression.

The bell rang and everyone started rushing inside. Roxanna gave a look and Roxas and smiled. "I'll see you at lunch. Bye!" Then she walked off with Nyoka and Ophidia into the building, leaving Roxas, Skye and Koji together.

"Huh," Skye huffed, rubbing his cheek. "Your girlfriend is awfully strong."

Roxas started laughing and playfully punched Skye on the shoulder. "Well I must be a lucky guy then." The friends laughed together and they walked into the school.


	2. Chapter 2: The Unusual Day

During his Math class, Roxas stared out the window the whole time. It was the afternoon and he urged to see Roxanna again. He hated how easy his math class was. While his teacher talked, Roxas watched outside as he saw Roxanna's physical education class outside running on the field. He saw her red curls fly behind her and the sweat that poured down her pink cheeks. He wished he was running next to her.

"Psst Roxas!" A boy sitting next to him tapped Roxas on the shoulder.

Roxas looked at the boy and gave him a questioning look. "What is it?"

The boy handed over a slip of paper to Roxas and whispered, trying not to get caught by the teacher. "I don't know who it's from, but someone told me to hand this to you."

Roxas took the paper and gave the boy a confused look. Why would anyone give him a note at this time? Usually notes were never passed in his class since it was filled with nerds. But the boy reassured him. "Don't worry I didn't look inside it. I don't have anything to do with it."

Roxas didn't feel reassured at all. He opened the note under his desk and read the note. It was in red pen and it had big capitalized letters on it. He froze.

"Roxas?"

Roxas said nothing and looked out the window.

"Roxas is everything alright?"

Roxas looked up and saw his teacher trying to catch his attention. Standing up from his chair, Roxas told his teacher. "I'm sorry teacher. I'm not feeling so well. Is it alright for me to go to the nurse?"

The teacher nodded and handed Roxas a slip. Roxas walked out of the class and started running through the halls.

Roxas didn't know why this was happening and who gave him the note, but he had to go to outside. The note had said that if he didn't hurry, his loved one would be killed. Although he didn't believe in these notes, he knew that either way since Roxas and Roxanna were the most wanted people in the school, they would be targeted easily. He had to make sure that Roxanna was alright. He rushed out the doors and to the soccer field where Roxanna's class was still running. He ran towards her and called out. "Roxanna!"

Roxanna stopped running and saw Roxas running towards her and she let out a surprised cry. "Roxas? What's going on?"

Roxas came up to her and panted, bending down and trying to catch his breath. He looked up at her and gasped. "I think we're in danger."

Before Roxanna could question Roxas, somebody cried out to them. "WATCH OUT!"

A desk flew out of the window and Roxas pushed Roxanna out of the way. Glass pieces flew out and landed on the field. Roxanna was lying on top of Roxas, and she saw the desk right next to them. She was unhurt, but she saw Roxas, lying on the ground with blood and cuts on his body and face. Roxanna's eyes were full of tears. "ROXAS!"

She got off of Roxas and kneeled down to him. The teachers and students all rushed out to the field where Roxas and Roxanne were. Roxanne started crying and cried out in despair. "Roxas…he's hurt! And it's my fault…" She bent down to Roxas and kissed him lightly on the lips.

From afar on the rooftops of the school, a black hooded figure watched the scene below him. "Huh," he sneered as he saw the scene. "I guess you already have found someone Roxas." Then with a snap he vanished.

_I'm having another weird dream aren't I? _

Roxas was lying on the ground and he opened his eyes. He looked around the room and saw that the whole room was white. _This is different than from my other dreams, _he thought to himself. He got up and searched the room for anything in it. But there was nothing.

Then, he found a creamy white door and he walked over to it and grabbed the handle. _I have to get out of here, _Roxas thought.

_Are you ready to open this door?_

Roxas jumped and looked around the room with surprise. "Who's there?" he shouted.

_Beyond this door is no turning back. For this, you must be able to face the challenges that lie beyond this door._

"Challenges?" Roxas said confused. "Aren't I facing challenges in my life already?"

_It is your choice to go beyond this door. You will find truths you have never knew about yourself._

_But you have nothing to fear. The light is always with you._

And the voice did not talk again. Roxas looked at the door with a hard look. He would be prepared for anything. And with so, he opened the door.

Roxas got out of his bed and took deep breaths. He felt dizzy and a little shocked from what had happened. He found himself covered with bandages around his arms and he was shirtless. _What happened? _Suddenly flashbacks of about the desk that fell out of the window and Roxanna crying came to his mind. That was right. He had saved Roxanna and now she was safe.

He sighed, knowing Roxanna would be alright for now.

"You really haven't changed at all."

Roxas flinched and saw a black hooded figure leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He didn't even notice the figure even standing there. Did he even come in?

"Who are you?" Roxas asked.

The figure chuckled to himself a little, putting a finger under his nose. "You really don't remember. Just like last time."

"Quit playing games!" Roxas said impatiently. This guy was getting under his nerves so bad. And although he had never seen this person before, he felt kinda weird that he felt relaxed around this person.

Taking off his hood, the person smirked. "C'mon you at least have to remember my name!"

Roxas was silent as he tried really hard to remember who this person was. His name was on the tip of Roxas's tongue but he couldn't say it.

"Alright I guess I'll give you a little hint," the man said with a shrug. "It starts with an 'A.'"

And at that moment, his name hit Roxas like a rock. "Axel?"

"Heh that's right," Axel grinned. "It's Axel." Then he tapped his finger on the side of his head. "Got it memorized?"


	3. Chapter 3: Death & Hope

Looking out from her window, Aqua watched the sun set down into the blue oceans from the castle. She could see Terra and Riku talking underneath a shady tree and saw Donald and Goofy arguing about who should start first in playing cards. They were in the beautiful gardens, with bushes shaped like figures like King Mickey and Queen Minnie and there were plenty of flowers scattered in the garden. It was a beautiful day.

But Namine couldn't see it at all.

Aqua turned to look at Namine, helpless in her bed. Her eyes were closed; she could barely open them. There were times when she could open them, but most of the days, her eyes were completely shut. Aqua told her that she might be using too much magic whenever she's drawing pictures for Roxas to see. Aqua felt completely hopeless that she couldn't help Namine at all except to watch over her.

"Aqua?"

Aqua finally heard Namine's first words after three hours and felt relieved. "What is it Namine?"

Namine reached out her hand for her slowly. "Could you come here for a little bit?"

"Yeah sure," Aqua walked over to Namine's bed side and bend down on her knees, taking Namine by the hand. Her hand felt a little cold and Aqua began to worry about Namine a little more.

Squeezing Aqua's hand tighter, Namine asked quietly. "When will I get better?"

Trying not to sound too unconvincing, Aqua assured her with a small smile. "Really soon Namine, I promise. I just need some more time finding the right cure for your sickness." For about two months she had been trying to find a cure for Namine's sickness so that she would be able to get out of bed.

"I have Shattered Heart Disease, right?" Namine solemnly said.

"Yeah that's right," Aqua said a little remorsefully. She didn't want Namine to know too much about the Shattered Heart Disease (SHD). It was a kind of disease that meant that your heart was shattering into tiny fragments over a long period of time which would mean you would lose all of your senses like walking or even seeing. Aqua held Namine's hand and promised her. "Don't worry. I'll find a cure soon."

Smiling brightly, Namine said gratefully. "Thank you so much for everything Aqua. I know I've been a big burden for you taking care of me."

"Oh no you're not a burden!" Aqua cried out a little suddenly. She bent closer to Namine and told her. "You're one of the most important friends I have along with everyone else. So don't worry about it."

Then, Aqua and Namine heard tapping from the door. Aqua stood up and gently set Namine's hand down. She walked towards the door and opened it. Outside were Kairi and the brown spikey hair Sora with King Mickey.

"Hi Aqua!" Kairi beamed happily at her. "We were wondering if we could see Namine. We have great news for her!"

Aqua smiled turning her head back at Namine. "Is that alright with you Namine?"

Namine nodded, folding her hands together. "They can come in. I really can't wait to hear their voices again after a whole month."

Aqua opened the door a little wider and let the trio come inside Namine's room. Kairi immediately ran towards Namine's bedside and bent down right next to her with an energetic smile. "Guess what Namine? I have great news! Axel found Roxas and he's going to go down and bring him back."

Everyone was hoping that Namine's gloomy face would lit up with happiness and excitement, but her expression did not change. She gave Kairi a half smile. "I know."

Kairi gave Namine a puzzled look. "You know?"

"I knew long before any of you did," Namine told her quietly, putting her hand to her chest. Her eyes were still shut and she looked as if she was focusing on something. "His memories are replaced with different ones. I'm slowly weaving Roxas's old memories back together."

"Wait but doesn't have to be asleep?" Sora asked, scratching the back of his head. Although he couldn't remember it properly, Namine had once told Sora that she had put him to sleep so that he could regain his memories. The process took about one whole year for all his memories to go back.

Namine nodded her head. "Yes but no matter how hard I try, Roxas will not fall into the Memory Sleep. There's something preventing me from making him sleep."

A mouse with red overalls and big black eyes named King Mickey, owner of the Disney Castle, suddenly said. "And that something that's preventing you from making Roxas sleep just might the cause for Roxas losing his memories."

"You might be on to something your majesty!" Sora grinned happily, patting King Mickey on the back and the king looked irritated at Sora.

Aqua laid her back against the wall and folded her arms as she listened to the conversation. Even though most of the evil had been wiped out in the world, there was still some lurking about. The Organization XIII had disbanded, Master Xehanort was away from this world, and the Heartless and Nobodies had retreated back into the Door of Darkness. The questions danced in Aqua's mind and then suddenly she remembered something. "Wait, so Axel went to get Sora by himself?"

"Yeah," Sora replied looking at her with a cheeky smile. "Axel can take care of himself."

"That's not what I meant," Aqua shook her head firmly. She walked over to her desk and took out a file from her drawer. She handed it to King Mickey. "Axel went to the world called Tokyo. The world has this strange atmosphere that none of us are used to. If Axel stays there for more than one day, he won't make it back here in one piece."

"W-What are you saying?" Kairi asked nervously. "Are you saying that Axel might not come back at all if he stays in the world where Roxas is in too long?"

Aqua looked at Kairi gravely. "Yes. The world that Roxas and Axel are in does not have any magic whatsoever. Since we live with magic, Axel cannot possibly stay in Tokyo for long."

"So what do should we do then Aqua?" King


	4. Chapter 4: Unknown Purpose

I stared at Axel for a very long time. All of the sudden, this guy out of nowhere comes in front of me and although this is the first time I've seen him before. Yet for some reason, there's this funny feeling inside of me that's telling me that I know this guy and we haven't seen each other for a while. It's like…we are old friends.

The guy Axel with spikey red hair and piercing green eyes looked at me with a smirk on his face. He seemed pretty arrogant and I got pretty annoyed with his smile. "So where are you in here? You're gonna get caught by the nurse and she's gonna think you are some kind of criminal."

"Criminal?" Axel scoffed haughtily and then stifled a laugh. Then he pointed to his left and kept that same arrogant smirk on his face. I bent over on my bed to see what he was pointing at. My eyes widened.

There was the school nurse, with a clipboard in her hand and she was frozen. Her eyes did not blink and her body was unmoving. I couldn't believe it. "What did you do to her?" I demanded.

Axel sighed, putting his hand on his forehead. "Don't worry she'll go back to normal real soon. Anyway I'm here to being you back."

I looked at Axel funny. "Bring me back? Where?"

"Back where you belong," Axel said, and once he snapped his fingers, a black and purple hole came out of the wall. It looked to be a portal. He gestured his hands into the portal, telling me to go in.

But I backed away. I didn't know this person and he was a total stranger to me. My real home was with my friends at school, back at the dorms. I knew where I belonged. "No."

"C'mon Roxas," Axel said in an easy going tone. "You can trust me."

I was shocked. "How do you know my name?"

Then Axel began getting irritated. "C'mon Roxas. I'm your old pal, your buddy!" He pointed at himself with a grin. "You have to remember me."

"No, no I don't," I said and I folded my arms firmly. "I'm not going. This is my home."

Suddenly, Axel burst into flame. His eyes grew angry and he yelled, clenching his fists. "This isn't your home! You were never even supposed to be in this world! You're real home is with me and everyone else! And it's your fault that Namine is like this!"-

"-Say no more Axel."

A man wearing the same long black coat as Axel appeared from the portal and took Axel by the shoulder. Axel turned his head to look at the guy and he scowled. "Why are you here?"

"You need to come with me," the man in black said firmly. His voice sounded a little menacing and very serious.

With a long sigh, Axel followed the guy into the portal. He turned and looked at me one last time before he disappeared along inside the portal.

I sat there speechless. The nurse unfroze and walked towards me and babbled questions for me on how I felt. I didn't even hear or pay attention to her. My mouth couldn't move a single inch. My heart felt as if it were torn in two.

"Why did you stop me from taking him back? King Mickey's teach' can help us bring Roxas's memories back!"

Axel argued and complained the whole time while the guy in the black coat walked him towards his bedroom. He couldn't believe it. He was so close to getting Roxas back and yet _he _had to butt in!

Taking off his hood, Riku smoothed out his silver gray long hair and said to Axel in a simply matter. "I saved your life and Roxas's life. You should be thankful."

"What the hell are you talking about? You did nothing but get in my way!" Axel growled angrily, his body burning with rage.

"No I saved your life," Riku said firmly with seriousness. "Aqua told me the atmosphere in Roxas's world is dangerous for us to breathe for more than 24 hours. Knowing you, you would stay there until you dragged Roxas by the arm into the portal. You know Namine wouldn't want that."

Axel shut his mouth and sneered, folding his arms. "Well Aqua should've told me…"

"But you left before she could say anything," Riku pointed out.

"SHUT UP!" Axel hollered and grabbed Riku by the collar. He growled intimately. "Say one more word and I will seriously-"

"Axel NO!"

Running through the hallway, Xion ran towards Riku and Axel as fast as she could. She quickly grabbed Axel's arm and pleaded. "Please Axel! Stop this!"

Axel looked down at his friend's pleading blue eyes and sighed angrily and set his hand down. Xion turned to Riku and nervously asked. "Are you alright Riku?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Riku said cajolingly, with a slightly bitter tone. He put his hands on his hips and gestured his head towards Axel. "But Axel isn't alright."

Xion gawked at Axel with a sad and painful look in her eyes. She touched Axel's shoulder gently. "Axel I know you are worrying about Roxas, but please don't take it out on Riku. We are all trying to help find Roxas so he can come back to all of us."

She waited for Axel to say something, but she heard nothing. Then, she felt Riku put his hand on Xion's shoulder. She turned her head to look at him. His gentle eyes looked deep into her eyes. "Don't worry about Axel. He'll be alright. Just let him cool off."

Slowly putting her hand down, Xion gulped and watched as Axel turned his back against them. She didn't want to see Axel suffering like this. It wasn't fair. "Please get better soon Axel," Xion murmured quietly to him and she walked away with Riku.


	5. Chapter 5: Strange Encounters

Back at the school, Roxas spent his whole day staring at the chalkboard where his teacher was writing. His eyes were focused on it, but he was dozing off, thinking about what had happened in the school medical rooms. His head throbbed and as he continued thinking about the man with red flaming hair and his angered facial expression. Roxas knew that he had met this person before and yet no memories of him popped up. Why couldn't he remember?

"Namine is sick because of you!" The words that the guy Axel had shouted echoed in Roxas's head. The name seemed familiar too…

"Namine…" Roxas said aloud quietly to himself. "Namine…" He had to remember her since she seemed so familiar.

"Roxas!" Skye ran over to Roxas's desk and slammed his hands down on his table. He grinned with relief setting in his eyes. "You okay buddy? I heard your heroic scene where you saved what's her face."

"Namine…"

"What?" Skye looked confused and scratched his head. "Who's that?"

Roxas jumped and looked up at Skye. He gave him a small smile. "Oh hey Skye."

Skye gave Roxas a look and put his hand on Roxas's forehead and gawked at Roxas, his head face to face with him. "You must have lost your quick reflexes too. Maybe I should throw you into the lake or something—OW!"

Koji grabbed a fistful of Skye's hair and pulled him back. His eyes looked dark and annoyed. Skye looked up at Koji wincing in pain. "H-Hey Koji! What's that for?"

"If you're gonna throw someone in the lake…" Koji said darkly. Skye gulped and covered his eyes, whimpering.

"You should have counted me in too."

Skye looked at Koji gratefully and smiled. "See? Great minds think alike eh? C'mon Roxas let's go and…" He turned to where Roxas was sitting, but he had disappeared. With a puzzled look on his face, Skye frowned. "U-Uh hey where did he go?"

"Namine…Namine…"

Roxas said the name over and over, but he couldn't recall her face or any memories. Why did he even care? Why would he even care about someone he had never met in his life? Why did it matter to him anyways…? He walking towards the dorms where he shared a room with Skye and Koji. Along the way, he saw the students from his school looking and staring at him. The girls blushed as he walked by and the guys stared at him as if he were some god. Roxas rolled his eyes. He was no god. He didn't even know who Namine was! Only a god would know that.

Then, he saw a girl on the ground, picking up her books that she dropped. Roxas jogged up to her to help her out. The girl looked up at him with bright blue eyes, the same eyes as he had. She looked shocked to see him.

"Do you need any help?" Roxas asked the girl, bending down and picking up a book from the ground for her.

The girl with short black hair with blue eyes quickly looked down and picked up the rest of the books and took the book from Roxas. She bowed. "Thanks for helping me."

Roxas nodded. "No problem." Being a friendly neighborhood guy, Roxas asked. "So are you new in the neighborhood?"

The girl paused for a moment and then she nodded. "Well no I just…I live somewhere else."

"Oh," Roxas said, scratching the back of his neck. He felt a bit awkward talking to this girl, yet he was comfortable in a way. More comfortable than being by Roxanna's side.

The girl cocked her head with a smile. She looked relieved to see him to Roxas and he began feeling a little anxious. "So what's your name?" the girl asked.

"Roxas. Just Roxas. What about you?"

"Xion," the girl replied extending her arm out with a smile. "Just Xion."

Aqua looked out at the window, watching the sun setting into the ocean. She sat on a chair next to Namine's bed. Namine was sleeping soundly, her head snuggled into the blanket. Aqua had a warm damp washcloth over Namine's forehead. Namine's fever was higher than the normal fever. Aqua was beginning to think that Namine would not be able to make it in time. She had to figure out a cure and fast.

"Hang in there Namine," Aqua murmured to Namine, stroking her hand.

Then, a man stood next to the door and knocked on the opened door lightly. He was a tall young man with brown hair that reached the base of his neck in the back with messy, vertical spikes and bangs that frame his face. He had blue eyes and slightly tanned skin and he wore a skintight, black, high-collared shirt with a dark grey hakama (large Japanese samurai styled pants). He had his arms crossed and he leaned on his side against the door. "She asleep?"

Aqua nodded slightly and turned to the window. She felt too miserable to even talk to Terra at the moment. Terra walked next to her and looked out the window with her. Donald, Goofy, Sora, Kairi and King Mickey were playing volleyball on the beach shore with big grins and smiling faces. Daisy Duck and Queen Minnie were under a large umbrella talking together about something related to the palace. Aqua smiled. "At least everyone is having fun."

Terra turned his head and looked at Aqua for a long time and then half smirked as he turned to the window again. "Everyone? Namine is lying in bed sick while you are babysitting her the whole time."

"I'm not talking about Namine and I," Aqua said firmly. "I'm talking about everyone else. I'm sure Namine wouldn't want them to worry so much about her. And if she did, they would be crying or sitting in the dark waiting for her to get better."

"Alright I get the point," Terra chuckled a little and put his hand on Aqua's shoulder. "I've been into the Magic Mirror Chamber in the Disney Castle to check on Xion in Roxas's world."

"And what did you see?" Xion should be staying alive for a while since she had the tattoo of the Chain of Hearts that would allow her to live for at least more than 5 months in the world. Aqua was proud of herself that she had created a magic spell that allowed people to go to Roxas's world.

Smiling brightly, Terra said. "Xion has already found him. You should have seen Ventus's face…" Then he paused and bit his lip. "Oh right. His name is Roxas." He looked a little pale at the fact that Ventus was inside of Roxas and although Roxas had the same memories as Ventus did, it was hard for him to say his name.

Aqua put her hand on Terra's arm that rested on her shoulder. "So Xion has already found Roxas. Hopefully her mission succeeds and we will be able to bring Roxas back."

Terra nodded. "Hope so. Roxas is the only one that can help cure Namine."

(to be continued…)

Roxas looked at Xion from head to toe. He looked at her and saw her smiling back at her. Her eyes twinkled in the sun and Roxas had a strange feeling in his heart. Who was this girl? Why was he getting this kind of feeling?

"Are you alright Roxas?" the girl asked Roxas with some concern.

Nodding, Roxas pulled back a couple of steps and said with a nervous chuckle. "Who me? I'm okay. Just got sidetracked that's all." He laughed a little and then anxiously scratched the back of his neck. Roxas was shaking. He felt a part of him urging to hug her and started flushing bright red. Why was he like this? Why was it these strangers that suddenly appear out of nowhere and he felt as if they were old friends? Today was such a weird day…

Xion reached out to touch his shoulder, but Roxas quickly brushed away. "N-no no I'm fine! Really I am!" He felt his head throbbing again and he fell to his knees clutching his head. The pain hurt so much. He didn't have any clue where it was coming from, but it hurt so badly.

Then Roxas saw Xion kneel to the ground on her knees as well and she took his hand and held it tightly. She closed her eyes and Roxas stopped cowering and looked straight at her, his headache slowly going away. He felt a rush of life go through him as it pushed the head pain away. Roxas felt stronger and alive. Too strong.

Suddenly, Xion let go of his hand and smiled drowsily. She looked like she was about to pass out. "Xion?" Roxas called to her.

"I have to leave now," Xion said quietly, standing up and putting her hand on her forehead. "It's getting late." And then, she started running towards the dark woods.

"Xion!" Roxas shouted after her. He darted off, running after her. Roxas couldn't understand why he was running after her. After all, she was a total stranger. But yet, Roxas had a feeling that if he didn't chase her, he could never see her again. And in his heart, Roxas did not want that.

Roxas ran after her towards the forest, her figure disappearing into the darkness. He rubbed his eyes as he saw her figure turning blurry with some kind of black aura shrouding around her. Who was she really? He chased her through the woods, the arching eerie trees covering the sunlight from peeking into the woods. The leaves and long creaking branches swayed in slow motion and the sounds of screaming came from the forest. Roxas hated this forest. It was the last place he would ever go to. The whole atmosphere was full of darkness and wrong and he had heard many who had come into the forest had disappeared without a trace. It was the most popular tourist spot to visit during Halloween though.

"Xion! Xion!" Roxas called out. His voice echoed through the woods. He called for her again and again but he didn't see any sight of her. Where could she be? It might take forever to find her.

"So you have come to the Forest of Darkness."

Roxas turned around and looked from side to side frantically. "Who's there?"

"Are you frightened, boy?"

Then, a man in a half white and half black coat came before Roxas with his face covered by his hood. The black part of his coat was the same design as the Axel guy Roxas had met just a few hours ago. He stood in front of Roxas, appearing out of nowhere. Roxas stepped back and clutched his hand into a fist. "Who are you?"

"I'm your friend," the stranger said with a hint of a smile. "A friend from you past memories. You should obviously remember me."

Roxas frowned, scratching his head. "No I don't know who you are. Now where is my friend?"

The stranger chuckled maliciously. "What makes you think I took your friend? Your friend is my friend."

"Stop playing games!" Roxas shouted angrily at him. Who was this guy? What did this stranger want from him?

"I'm your friend," the person said patiently, walking closer towards Roxas. "And as a friend, you should trust me."

"Stay back!" yelled Roxas and he quickly took a steps back. He wanted to run, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of the stranger.

Suddenly out from the darkness and behind the figure in white and black, Roxas saw a figure holding a large oversized key and swung it at the stranger. The stranger vanished into thin air and Roxas stopped. He looked closer at the person with the key. "Xion?"

Xion looked at Roxas with a small smile. She held the large oversized key that had a yellow handle with a silver blade. Roxas looked at Xion with confusion. He pointed to the key and mouthed. "What is that?"

Xion giggled and then her eyes grew wide and ran towards Roxas and stood in defensive mode, holding her oversized key close to her. "Stay back," she told him firmly. "The guy is still here."

Then, the figure reappeared with not a scratch on his hood. Xion tensed and gripped her oversized key tighter. Roxas didn't understand what was happening at all. Who was Xion? Who was the other guy?

"Are you confused Roxas?" the stranger asked Roxas with not a single but of emotion into his words. "Do you want answers?"

Roxas froze and looked at the stranger. He did want answers. He wanted to know who the man in black called Axel was, he wanted to know who Xion really was, he wanted to know why he had been having weird dreams lately, and he also wanted to find out who Namine was. But before Roxas could say anything, Xion cried out. "No don't tell him!"

Shocked by Xion's outburst, Roxas stared at her and then he heard the stranger chuckling. "The choice is not one for you to make. It is Roxas's choice."

Xion bit her lip and looked at Roxas pleadingly. Her eyes showed a sign of sadness and mix of anger and worry. Roxas looked at her and then at the stranger. He had only two choices; know the answers or ignore them for the rest of his life.

"Tell me," Roxas said to the stranger. He walked slowly in front of Xion and spread his arms out to block Xion. "You can hurt me if you want." Roxas looked over his shoulder at Xion who was shaking with surprise and fear. Roxas looked firmly at the stranger. "But you can't hurt Xion."


	6. Chapter 6: Purpose or none

Xion glared at Roxas, whose arms were spread apart. He was trying to protect her. Was Roxas crazy? Why would Roxas risk his own life just to have this stranger answer his questions?

"Answer my questions," Roxas repeated again, his voice unwavering. "Then I'll do whatever you want me to."

The man in the black and white coat folded his arms and stared at Roxas. He was smirking, but it was covered by the darkness of his hood. "Alright. Tell me, what do you want to know?"

Pausing for a brief moment, Roxas thought in his head. He had a lot of questions to ask and he knew that he shouldn't take this stranger so lightly. "I want to know what you know about me. You said that you knew the answers. So I want to know everything that you know about me."

"Roxas…" Xion breathed, but then she stopped herself. It wasn't her place to stop him from doing what he wanted, but how could Roxas even trust this stranger?

"Is that your final decision?" The stranger asked darkly. "Are you sure there is nothing else you wish to know?"

"Yeah I'm sure," Roxas replied. "This is all I want to know about from you."

The stranger in black and white snapped his fingers and suddenly a creamy white envelope with a stamp on it floated in mid-air in front of Roxas. Xion and Roxas gawked at the envelope with wonder. "in this envelope," the stranger said. "Is where you will unravel the answers you want to know."

Roxas reached out to grasp the envelope, but the envelope magically pulled away from his hand. "Hold on," the man said, holding up his hand. "Before you take this, you must do something for me in order to have it."

Frowning, Roxas folded his arms. "Alright then. What do you want me to do?"

Then, the stranger jabbed his finger at Xion. Xion flinched as she saw him pointing at her weapon. "Take that weapon out of her hand and hand it to me."

Roxas and Xion exchanged surprised glances at each other and Roxas looked at Xion's oversized key. What was he going to do? Would he hurt him and Xion? But what would an oversized key do? Why did Xion even have the key in the first place? Xion looked at Roxas with an unsure look and she bit her lip. Suddenly, the key in her hand disappeared.

Roxas jumped back and gawked at her with surprise. Then, the oversized key reappeared in Roxas's grasp magically. Amazed at what had happened, Roxas gripped the key blade tighter and it felt so warm to him, almost as if it were meant for him. He could feel the connection with his hand and with his Key blade and as Roxas pointed the blade at the black and white coated man; he could feel a sudden jolt in his body, as if it were repelling from the stranger.

"Hand the weapon to me," the stranger said again. "Then I will give you the answers."

Suddenly, Xion's eyes grew wide. She turned to Roxas and cried out. "No Roxas! It's a trap!"

Then, Roxas felt his grip loosening all of the sudden as if he couldn't hold the key blade any longer. What was going on? Roxas lost his grip and the key blade flew straight towards the stranger in black and white, who quickly grabbed it.

All of the sudden, the man gripped the key blade very tightly and it shattered into bits and fragments…

A fierce jolt hit Xion in the heart and she fell to her knees, coughing and panting. She felt the sweat pour down her neck and she clutched her chest tightly. "Xion!" Roxas rushed over to Xion, putting his hand on her shoulder. He turned to the stranger and shouted angrily. "You lied! You said that you wouldn't hurt her!"

"Who said anything about me hurting her?" the stranger shrugged. "All I did was destroy her Key blade. I didn't do anything that hurt her."

Roxas had a furious face and he clenched his fists. "You did your part for me," the stranger said with a hint of a smile. "So now I can give you your reward."

"None of that matters!" Roxas shouted, wrapping his arms around Xion protecting her from the stranger. "If you touch her again you are going to pay!"

Snapping his fingers, the envelope that floated in the air disappeared and the stranger started to vanish. But before he vanished, he said soothingly. "Don't forget Roxas…the answers are always waiting for you…"


End file.
